For suburbanites, the Tenafly Nature Center offers a special treat: the chance for a real walk in the woods, without straying too far from civilization. On a recent visit with an 11-year-old and two 8-year-olds, the intervals when we could neither see nor hear other visitors were just short enough for my comfort level and long enough to make the experience feel like an adventure for the kids.

Read on for more about this Bergen County nature preserve, and check out other New Jersey Nature Centers here.

Even if you brought a bag full of snacks to your Brooklyn Botanic Garden excursion, kids will be hungry after all that time running through the grass, collecting sticks, and chasing butterflies.

The good news is that there are plenty of family-friendly options for a bite in the nearby Crown Heights and Prospect Heights neighborhoods, many with high chairs and changing tables available. These restaurants are also close to the Brooklyn Museum, and a short walk from the Brooklyn Children's Museum and Prospect Park.

All of us here at Mommy Poppins CT wish you and your family a very happy and safe Halloween! Since this kid-centric holiday falls on a Wednesday this year, which may be particularly challenging for the younger kids in your life, we recommend painting the town orange this weekend when there is all kinds of daytime fun to be had, including a Hobgoblin Fair, a Halloween Festival, a and even an Ick-fest! And just in case the forecast isn't boo-tiful, there's lots to do indoors at the Aqua-Scarium or the Dia de los Muertos events in Hartford and Storrs, to name just a few.

Be sure to check our event calendar for late breaking Halloween news and subscribe to our weekly newsletters. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest so that you won't miss out on any fun. Have a spooktacular weekend!

Finding the right preschool in NYC is a challenge for many parents. Of course you want to provide your kids with the best early education experience possible, but there’s also cost and location to consider—and available spots can be in short supply at the most popular preschools. Plus, the sheer number of programs and educational philosophies (are you a Montessori family, or is your two year-old more of a Reggio-Emilia kinda toddler?) can be overwhelming.

Like a lot of other things in this city, finding a great preschool calls for a bit of advance planning and research. But with a few helpful tips, you can navigate the preschool admissions obstacle course. To demystify the process of getting into preschool in NYC, we reached out to admissions consultants, preschool directors, and parents who’ve been there, toured that. What we discovered is that there are as many different and "great" preschools as there are perfectly wonderful children. The right preschool situation is out there for your family. Also, use our NYC Preschool Guide, of course! 

There's nothing quite like taking a giant bite out of a roll of cookie dough. It's delicious, but not something you'd like to see you child doing. At least not until now.

While eating traditional raw cookie dough comes with health risks, including salmonella, Dough Life's cookie dough is completely edible. Kids, and cookie dough-loving adults, can comfortably indulge in what once was a guilty pleasure. Read on and see how the cookie dough craze has come to Long Island.

If your kids have a big sweet tooth, check out these decadent dessert spots or old-fashioned ice cream parlors on Long Island as well.

Slime in the carpet. Glitter on the walls. Paint on a brand new couch. These are just a few of the art-projects-gone-wild I've cleaned up over the years. And though I know the value in all this messy fun and creativity, sometimes I just don't want to deal with stocking the supplies, guiding the activities, and cleaning it all up. Enter the Children's Museum of the Arts. For my money (and sanity!) nothing beats a trip to this creative hub. Dubbed by my arts-loving daughters as their favorite NYC museum, it's an arts education powerhouse that doubles as an indoor playspace, making it a must-visit for NYC guests and tried-and-true boredom buster for city parents.

Maybe your daughter changed her mind about her Halloween costume for the bazillionth time. Or maybe your son got an invite to a last-minute Halloween party. Or maybe you're just a proud member of the Procrastination Club. Whatever your case may be, we’ve found the easiest Halloween costumes for kids that even a non-crafty mom or dad can pull together on the fly.

Most of the costumes on our list don't call for an arm's-length list of crafting supplies or Halloween props: Headbands, pom-poms, markers, solid t-shirts, and a glue gun can go a long way with a little imagination. In fact, these DIY kids' costumes are so easy, you might just have time to whip up a few frighteningly tasty Halloween treats, too.

And for Halloween activities near you, check out our Local Halloween Fun & Activities Guide.

Longwood Gardens is a special Chester County destination for children and grown-ups alike. Every season it has something exciting to offer. In the fall, it’s tough to beat its array of colorful foliage, and kids enjoy the pumpkins and harvest activities. Winter brings a wonderland of festive lights and holiday displays.

Once spring and summer roll around, Longwood Gardens transforms into an oasis filled with incredible blooms, shady pathways, and outdoor events and musical performances in the Open Air Theatre. Visitors don’t have to be horticultural experts to appreciate everything Longwood has to offer. Here are seven reasons why kids (and adults!) can’t get enough of Longwood, no matter the weather.